Pirates Sign Matt Capps to Two-Year Deal

by Charlie Wilmoth on Apr 4, 2008 10:09 PM EDT

This isn't a long-term deal per se; instead it's just a way to cheaply buy out Capps' first year of arbitration eligibility. Capps gets $750,000 this year ($500,000 plus a $250,000 signing bonus), then gets $2.35 million next year. He would've made $435,000 this year without the bonus, so basically this contract amounts to a $2.6 million deal for 2009, signed a year in advance.

Most relievers don't become closers as early in their careers as Capps did, so it's tough to say how much he would've made in arbitration next year. Among current players, Chad Cordero of the Nationals may be the most comparable in that he went into his first arbitration hearing (last offseason) as a pretty good, proven closer. He won his case and made $4.15 million. Relievers are volatile, but Capps is young enough and good enough that gambling $2.6 million now to keep from potentially paying $4 million or so for 2009 seems like a pretty good idea for the Pirates.

Capps will still have two more years of arbitration eligibility after 2009, so it isn't like he'll be a free agent when the contract is over.

Tweet Comment 4 comments | 0 recs |

Do you like this story?

Comments

Recurring nightmare

PITTSBURGH (AP) -- Brian Tracy, the son of former Pirates manager Jim Tracy and a 20th-round draft pick last year, will be the pitching coach at short-season Class A State College this season.

---

DL, Tracy ... they're like Jason Voorhees without the mask.

by bucdaddy on Apr 4, 2008 6:45 PM EDT reply actions

Sort of like Derrick Turnbow

Turnbow got a three-year deal after the 2005 season when he put recorded 39 saves and had a 1.74 ERA. He got $1M for '06, $2.3 for '07, and $3.2M for this year. If you spread the half a million dollar raise he got for 2006 over the next two years his contract works out to be ~$2.6M for 2007 (he would have been eligible for arbitration after 2006) and ~$3.5 for 2008. Of course, it's hard to say how much the Brewers saved, thanks to Turnbow's meltdown in the latter part of 2006. Hopefully that doesn't happen to Capps.

Obscure baseball records and more at my blog, Recondite Baseball.

by TheJay on Apr 4, 2008 10:56 PM EDT reply actions

Thanks

Turnbow is a great comparison, actually. Although I would argue that Capps' continued success is more likely than Turnbow's was.

by Charlie Wilmoth on Apr 4, 2008 11:03 PM EDT up reply actions

I hope that young Tracy will not be costing the Pirates anything at State College and that his father told the Pirates to just deduct his son's salary from what they owe him. I mean a $1 million here and $1 million there, pretty soon it adds up!

by thegunner on Apr 5, 2008 12:56 AM EDT reply actions